


The Castle Crumbles

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Bickering, Cuties, Day At The Beach, F/M, Modern Era, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25127467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: Xander makes a fatal mistake. Corrin has to help him before he suffers the consequences.
Relationships: Marx | Xander/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Castle Crumbles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyBergamot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBergamot/gifts).



Splashing. Snickering. Sunbathing. Smiling.

Corrin's grin had stretched from ear to ear all day long as she spent the day with her dearest friends -- her adoptive family, in a sense. Having grown up as neighbors, Corrin practically lived at the Nohr household, passing every birthday, major holiday, trial, tribulation, and celebration in her life with the four siblings who she practically considered her own. As they had grown older, their schedules had tended to take them in different directions at different times, but on this simple summer day, they were all able to reunite once more.

"Xander! Watch out!"

Unfortunately, one misstep was all that was required to ruin this state of perfect bliss.

A soft thud resounded as a volleyball fell and hit the sand. The soft, powdery white grains muffled most of the sound, but for Corrin, that tap on the ground seemed to explode like a firecracker.

"Elise is going to kill you," Leo commented coolly, glancing out towards the pier. He didn't even bother to glance back at his older brother, who was stuck in a state of total shock.

Xander, who usually was able to stay calm and collected in the midst of any conflict, seemed to be short-circuiting. He stood absolutely still, but his eyes were wild inside of his head as his gaze flickered from his brother to Corrin to the pier to the ocean and finally to his left foot -- the perpetrator. 

One misstep, and Xander had knocked down an entire wall of Elise's sandcastle, causing it to crumble and collapse even faster than Xander's self-confidence.

"I… I am aware," he murmured at last.

"I think that, given the choice between you kicking her face and kicking her sandcastle, she would've taken a foot to the face."

"I am aware," Xander repeated, gritting his teeth slightly. "Please, Leo. You have to help me fix this."

Leo finally turned to look at his older brother, but he didn't make direct eye contact with him. "Oh, so even Prince Xander makes mistakes?" he taunted. "Good to know. I  _ did  _ tell you not to practice your spikes while we waited for Camilla and Elise to get back," he pointed out in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

Xander finally stepped forward, removing his foot from the wreckage. "Please do not call me that," he insisted, and his eyes narrowed. "I thought you would have wanted me to practice my technique, so that we may advance the lead we currently have. No thanks to you."

"Hey!" Corrin finally piped up, and she ducked underneath the net until she was standing directly between the brothers. "Could you two put aside this brotherly rivalry or toxic masculinity or whatever it is for about 15 minutes?" she snapped, thrusting her hands out to push the boys apart. "Leo, quit being a smart-ass. Xander, grab a shovel."

Leo opened his mouth to object, but one glare from Corrin was enough to stop him in his tracks. "For your sake," he muttered, "I hope Elise takes a long time deciding what flavor snow cone she wants." With a huff, he spun on his heel and strode back over to his beach blanket. Judging from the way in which he threw on his sunglasses, grabbed his book, and curled up underneath Camilla's umbrella, he was completely removing himself from the situation and refusing to implicate himself any further.

"Corrin, I--" Xander began, but Corrin just walked past him directly to the sandcastle and got onto her knees.

"Shovel," she repeated as she passed the small plastic tool to him. He gazed up at her with large, pleading chocolate-colored eyes, like a puppy who had just made a mess on the carpet. "Either we use it now, or Camilla will use it to bury us for making Elise cry."

The older boy sighed in resignation and ran his hand through his messy blond curls, soaked with sea spray and sweat. "Thank you," he said as he accepted the shovel from her. He lowered himself onto his knees as well, and he began to assess the damage to the castle. He had quickly abandoned his fears and immediately dove into action mode.

Corrin, meanwhile, had already begun to act, taking handfuls of the crumbled sand and pouring them into a bucket. "Don't mention it," she responded at last. "I'd do anything for her."

"What about for me?"

An innocent question. One that Corrin didn't even need to think about.

"Of course I'd do anything for you, Xander."

As if her words had activated some sort of spell, the blond suddenly began to move much more rapidly, and he began scooping piles of sand into Corrin's bucket. "Now, we can use this to recreate the spire," he began, and he squinted at the castle as though assessing it. "She had a wall here with grooves scratched into it, presumably from a stick or maybe the edge of the shovel." He flipped the tool over in his hand, and carefully he ran his index finger along its edge. "We can use the shovel," he concluded with a decisive nod. "Then for the spire, we need to draw a little rectangular window in the front, and-- Why are you looking at me like that, Corrin?"

The young woman was gawking at her friend, absolutely astounded by the amount of detail that he was able to recollect. Corrin had noticed that a wall had fallen, and maybe a tower, but she never would have been able to recount the shape of the window or the lines drawn in the wall to resemble bricks. "You have an amazing memory," she stated simply.

Xander laughed and reached over to place a hand underneath her chin. "Close your mouth or you'll catch flies," he teased, and Corrin immediately clamped her jaws shut. "I just pay close attention to the ones I care about," he explained, turning back to the castle. He placed the shovel down and began to use his hands to reshape the fallen wall of the castle. "For instance, I noticed the details on Elise's sandcastle. I also noticed that Camilla serves with her right hand but spikes with her left." He turned around to glance at Leo, who was too absorbed in his book to even notice the pair of them. "I noticed that Leo's shoulders are starting to get seriously burnt, and I'm debating on whether or not to tell him to put on more sunscreen."

"Xander!" Corrin chided him as she flipped over the bucket and patted it down, trying to carefully recreate the fallen spire.

Xander chuckled softly. "I'll tell him, I'll tell him," he reassured her. "I'm the eldest, so it's my duty to look out for everyone." He paused suddenly, and slowly he drew his hands back from the half-reformed castle wall. In one swift, fluid motion, he reached up and brushed some of Corrin's sweaty white locks out of her face and behind her ear. "I've also noticed that your hair looks silver in the sunlight, and I've noticed that your nose gets freckles when you tan."

Corrin glanced up from the sand window she was drawing, and her breath nearly caught in her throat when she saw how close Xander's face was to her own. "I get freckles?" she blubbered in disbelief.

"Yes. They're accentuated by your dimple when you laugh."

Corrin's initial reaction was surprise, followed by a sprinkle of flattery. She had always thought of the Nohr siblings as family, but to think that Xander paid as close attention to her as he did to his actual siblings was nothing short of… 

"Wait, 'dimple'?" Corrin echoed. "I only have  _ one  _ dimple?" Her blissful expression was completely overtaken by horror.

Xander laughed and pulled back, turning his attention to the castle again. "It's charming," he reassured her. "I only noticed because of who I am. Don't fret about it."

Corrin allowed her initial embarrassment to subside as she returned to the task at hand. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but wonder: Should she start paying closer attention to the ones she cares about? She snuck a quick glance at Xander, who was now packing the sand into place with his large, thick palms. The sun was relentless as it shone its hot, bright rays onto the beach, and sweat beaded all along Xander's forehead and shoulders. Had his shoulders always been so  _ broad _ ? Her eyes traveled down to his arms, which were thoroughly engaged in packing down sand. With biceps of that size, shouldn't the castle be crumbling underneath his touch? He must have been exercising careful constraint, calculating just how much force he needed to use. Careful, cool, collected, and yet somehow so down-to-earth, friendly, and caring… 

The sun was getting to her too, apparently. Corrin's face was becoming extremely hot; maybe she should take a dip in the ocean after they finished.

"That should do it for the wall," Xander murmured, and he placed a thoughtful hand on his chin. "May I see the shovel, Corrin?" He extended his hand to her, and she obliged, putting the shovel into his outstretched fingers. He didn't pull away immediately, though; his touch lingered against her skin for a brief moment. It was a fleeting moment-- he withdrew almost as soon as Corrin had registered that he was still holding onto her hand-- but somehow, that ephemeral nature of the moment made it very delicate and precious.

"And that's… the final touch!" Xander declared. He rose to his feet and stepped back, examining the castle in full. "I don't think she'll notice."

"Right on time, too," Corrin observed. In the distance, she could spot two familiar blobs of purple and blonde, and their figures were coming into clearer focus with every second. "I guess Elise finally decided what flavor she wanted." She turned her attention back to the castle. "Do you think we should collect some shells or something for decoration?"

Xander nodded slowly, assessing the idea. "I think we could suggest it to her," he agreed. "But right now, I want to admire our job well done. Thank you again." He turned his warm mocha-colored gaze onto her, and it shimmered with his relief, the reflection of the sunlight, and… something else. "It's a castle befitting of royalty."

Corrin placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "What can I say? I'm skilled with my hands." She beamed at him. "I do think it's perfect for Princess Elise, though."

Xander shook his head and stepped over to stand directly in front of her. "I was talking about you, little princess," he murmured, and gently he reached out to grab hold of her hand. "You may be skillful, but don't overwork yourself, okay?"

The sun's heat was getting to her again. "I never do. I simply always do what I feel needs to be done."

"And your ability to follow your heart is exactly what makes you a perfect princess."

Maybe her face was sunburned. Maybe she should get a snow cone, too.

"Well, you're one to talk! You're observant, loyal, determined, considerate, and strong!" she blurted out, rattling off all of the amazing qualities of her dearest friend. "You really are like a princ-" Corrin abruptly cut herself off, remembering how depressed Xander looked when Leo mockingly called him a "prince" earlier.

As keen as ever, the blond seemed to pick up on her reservations. "I'd be willing to be a prince if you were my princess, Corrin."

Without any warning, Xander suddenly swept her up in his arms. "Now, little princess, shall we return to the volleyball court to determine who shall emerge victorious in our battle?" He pulled her in tightly against his chest, securing her in place.

Xander had done this to her all the time when they were children. He often picked up Elise, too. So why was this time different? Was it the proximity to his scars? Was it the fact that she could hear his heart palpitating rapidly in his chest? Was that even his heartbeat that was accelerating so fast, or was it her own? Was this some kind of tactic to throw her off guard before resuming the game? Too many muddled thoughts were swimming in her head, but she knew one thing for certain:

"I swear to the gods, Xander, that if you drop me in the ocean, Camilla will be the least of your worries!"


End file.
